Exploring Tuwei promotion in cultural tourism and its social media users’ response

Purpose As traditional promotion methods evolve, Tuwei promotion, a unique daily life aesthetic and network subculture, has become a powerful tool on social media. This study explores how Tuwei promotion influences users’ attention, affective engagement, and information behavior in cultural tourism, offering fresh insights into marketing strategies. Design/methodology/approach Through a sequential mixed-methods approach, this study examines structural elements and user response mechanisms of Tuwei promotion, revealing their impact on cultural tourism marketing within social media platforms. Findings Tuwei promotion enhances cultural tourism marketing through sensory rendering, humorous performance, cultural touching, and meme induction. Moreover, Tuwei promotion can shape social media users’ conscious arousal, affective engagement, and tourism destination connections, thus promoting their information pass-along and opinion expression. Originality/value This study first identifies the structural elements and user response mechanisms of Tuwei promotion, providing innovative strategies and practical guidance for cultural tourism marketing in the social media environment.